Midnight Bridge
by PurpleLicious64
Summary: Two human girls in one wrong world, One magic bridge that brings them together. Where's the pathway home? -Raine's POV is by "Princess in her Shadow"- Please R&R c:
1. Chapter 1

Coco made her way through the snow storm as quick as she could. She had to get out of there soon, or she would freeze and get hypothermia or die, in any case, she had to hurry. She pulled the blanket tighter on her body and pulled her hood forward more, in an attempt to keep her body heat. She suddenly heard a faint crying in the near distance, making her stop for a few seconds as it suddenly went away the same time she stopped. She shook her head a couple times and began running again, hearing the same crying from the same area. She paused again as the crying went on, coming from the west side. She quickly ran to it, her black hair blowing in the wind as she ran in the direction the soft crying came from.  
She saw a large tree in front of her path, definitely where the noise was coming from. She ran faster to get to it, as the soft crying suddenly turned into wailing from a baby. She looked under the roots of a tree, where a small light blue bundle was making a noise that you would have to be deaf not to hear. She quickly pulled it out, huddling it close to her body. She tightened the cloth around herself, then the baby's own light blue blanket, trying to keep the heat in for both of them. She ran back to the castle, where the Kewolens lived, quickly bringing her inside where there was warmth.

"Coco! Where have you been? We've been waiting for you forever!" Kyra yelled, running to give her a hug, but suddenly stopped, staring at the light blue bundle.

"What the hell is _that_ doing here!?" Kyra suddenly shrieked, getting the attention of everyone around them.

"Shut up and come" Coco put her finger on her friends lips, dragging her into her bedroom.

They eventually got to the room, as she closed and locked the door, keeping everyone who was following them out.

"I think it's a human baby, not a nymph baby" She replied calmly, unwrapping the now silent baby from it's cold blue blanket, giving it a soft-colored purple one instead.

"But, what the hell?" She asked, poking it's nose

"Stop that!" Coco hit her friends hand. "I'm not sure how it got here. But I wasn't going to leave her in the cold alone"

"Dammit Coco, you know what everyone is saying about you and your research about humans. This will only add more rumors" she looked at her friend worriedly. "How do you know it's not a nymph?" She asked, her worried stare going to a glare

"Look at it's ears and face color" She replied changing her clothes to one that weren't frozen.

Coco looked at the babies ears and face with Kyra, some what stuck in an awe.

"See? Nymph bodies can't change color to blue and they have the same ears as we do, not rounded ones." Coco touched the baby's ears with her purple finger.

Nymphs had the same skin color as humans, but are a lot paler, unlike the Kewolens, who have pure purple skin and usually have the darker hair colors.

"Okay, fine. It's not a Nymph. But how are we supposed to keep her away from everyone?" Kyra humpfed, crossing her arms and turning away from the baby. Coco rolled her eyes.

"Look, if you help me take care of her, you can name her" She offered her friend. Kyra looked back at the baby, then at her friend.

"Well.. I can't let you handle this on your own.." Kyra smiled as Coco smiled back.

"Thank you so much" Coco pulled her friend into a hug

"So what do you want to name her?" Coco asked letting go of the hug

"Let's see.. Do you mind if I name her after my sister?" Kyra asked looked down at the baby. Coco shook her head and smiled

"Okay. Pheobe it is."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I inhaled and exhaled as I lay on the grass alone. I hate this place, it's like a hell hole for me. My teammates, Minthe and Achelous are both annoying and I get the hint that they despise me. All the other girls who I live with push me around like I'm a rock, and the boys... the boy's don't even bother to look at me. At least the sun shone for me today, unlike most days. I took my bracelet off and on, playing with it between my fingers. I'm not sure where I got it, though I know for sure I got it when I was very small. I put it on, this time leaving it on, closing my eyes. I felt so tense here. I just couldn't be me.

"PHEOBE!" A voice yelled at me, making me jump.

"Yes Minthe?" I replied rubbing my temples

"Hurry up! Dammit, your so slow!" She kicked my hand as she ran past me. I glared at her as I sat up rubbing my hand

"Your the one who was late" I mumbled. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, her long pointed ears twitching.

"What was that?!" She turned around looking at me infuriated.

"Your a beautiful stunning person with an amazing personality" I smiled as I falsely complimented her

"Damn straight." She turned back around and began walking towards the castle.

Minthe flipped her hair back at me as I rolled my eyes. She seriously was waaay too dramatic. I knew I was different than everyone ever since I learned to speak, which was about two or three. Kewloens have light purple skin and long straight back hair with pointed ears, and I have long brown hair with grey eyes and beige skin. One could only wonder why I was an outcast. We eventually caught up with Achelous who was already at the castle, as he just stared blankly at us. Archelous was emotionless, or if he did have emotions, he certainly didn't enjoy showing them. But at least he didn't make fun of me like everyone else, he even sometimes spoke with me, which always made me feel that much better. We all sat on the grass in dead silence as a loud thumping echoed through the ground.

"Good job being here on time" The main castle guard spoke to us as we stood up, standing in a straight line in front of him

"Today, you will be on River duty. Make sure no nymphs come onto our half; and if they do, their all yours." He eyed all of us suspiciously, maybe to freak us out.

"Yes Sir!" We replied in unison as we ran into the castle to get our assigned weapons.

Minthe had a huge doulbe-sided axe, that honestly did not fit with her looks, but fit perfectly with her personality. Archelous had a huge purple-blade scythe that was at least a head larger than him. He almost looked like the Grim Reaper; or he would if he wore a black cloak, which thankfully he didn't. Me, on the other had had a two bladed spear. One head was longer than the other one, which would add more damage as the second head went into the body. I inhaled as she stood it up next to me, looking up at it. It was at least nine feet tall, which was a good three heads taller than myself. But none the less, I could use it easily which was lucky.

"Pheobe. Let's go" Archelous spoke completely emotionless as I nodded once following behind him

We headed out to the river, which was maybe a hundred yards away from the village. The castle is where Royalty lives, me being the acceptation, that is. My mom, or adoptive mom is a close maid to the Princess, so it's thanks to her I'm alive at this point. She said that she found me under a tree root during the middle of a winter blizzard and she and Kyra, her best friend who is also a maid, took care of me. Apparently Kyra named my after her sister who died a few years before I came into this weird picture.  
We came to the river with the main castle guard close behind us, ready to give our rolls of where we would watch over.

"Minthe. You take the southern part of the river, Archelous you'll get the northern part, and you, Pheobe, you get to watch over the center." His voice boomed as Minthe had displeasure all over her face

"Why does _Pheobe_ get the center? I'm sure it's too much of a job for her" she smirked at the castle guard glared at her

"Would you like to watch over the whole river then?" He shot back as she fell silent.

"I thought so. Now that you have been assigned, move out!" he called as we ran in the direction that we were assigned.

I didn't have to go anywhere far since the central area was just a bit north from where we were. I stood looking though the bushes across the river for any nymphs that may dare to attempt to cross over. I doubt I would actually kill them, but you never know. I saw a brown haired girl in the grass crying as I stared at her. Brown hair? I stared as she looked back at me, causing me to freeze. She had the same brown hair as I did, the same skin tone and even the same eye color. But it wasn't just that.

She had the same bracelet as me.

----

Please R&R 3


	3. Chapter 3

We came closer to the castle as the sun set in the far horizon. There goes my beautiful sunshine. I sighed as I can't seem to get that girl out of my head. I kicked a rock a head of me, following after it then kicking it again. Her hair, eyes and skin tone were exactly the same as mine, meaning she couldn't have been a Nymph since she had brown hair, and can't possibly be a Kewolen since her skin is beige. I toe-punched the small rock as hard as I could, sending it flying into the back of Achelous's leg. I flinched as he spun around, almost death glaring at me.

"Sorry.." I mumbled as I ran past him, straight into the castle.

I put my spear all awkwardly agenst the wall of where it always rested, running to my room.

"That's right! You run!" I heard Minthe yell as I accidentally let a loud sob out.

"Pheobe! What's wrong?!" Coco asked worried as I ran into the room, slamming the door

"Nothing!" I yelled as I dove under my bed

It's sort of an awkward place to hide, since most girls would cry or scream into a pillow or a stuffy, but it's always been a safe and secure place for me. Coco came into my room, folding up the edges of my covers so she could see my face.

"I know there's something wrong when you go under your bed" she spoke as she looked at me

"..Why am I so different?" I mumbled as I kicked my foot on the bed, mentally cursing

"Because your special" Coco spoke stroking the top of my head

"If I'm so _special_, why does everyone seem to hate me?" I rolled on my back staring at the base of my bed, reading all the things I wrote when I was little

"Because they _know_ your special and are jealous of that" She spoke calmly, probably grinning.

"Then why am I here?" I asked tracing a word I dug into the wood

"Because you deserved a life to live too." Coco spoke softly

"Doubt it. I mean my own teammates hate me" I closed one eye as I remembered I should apologize properly to Achelous.

"Don't be silly. They always talk about you" I looked at Coco surprised as I rolled back onto my stomach

"Bad things, right?" I rolled my eyes as I imagined Minthe spreading some weird rumor about me

"No, just before they spoke what a good job you did on cleaning the castle"

"Yeah, because I lost a dumb dare" I closed my eyes, almost laughing at the thought

"That is besides the point, hun. Now come out from there, your dust bunny friend's won't miss you that much" Coco spoke as she pushed herself up from the ground.

I climbed out, waving to the bottom of my bed with a frown, mocking my adoptive mother. She just smiled, hugging me as I smiled and hugged back. I sat on my bed, as she sat next to me with a smiling face. Some how, Coco can always make me feel so much better.

"How has Kyra been?" I asked as we went to the main dining hall

"Apparently really busy with the Princess's errands" She had a weird grin on her face that showed it was more than just _that_.

"Don't tell anyone, but I heard she's been spotted with Kevin" She whispered in my hear as I looked at her in shock.

Kevin was the Princess's main body guard; he was tall and very skinny, but he was an excellent body guard and sword fighter, one of the best in the lands.

"No way!" I yelled with a smile plastered on my face, getting a bunch of nasty stares by the girls in the room.

"I knew she's been checking him out!" I lowered my voice as we ordered our food. At least the chefs were nice to me.

"I know! But don't tell anyone" she winked at me as she went to sit at her assigned table, where all the main maids sat with her food.

I walked out side of the dining hall to sit outside. It was a little chiller at night time outdoors, but it isn't too bad at this time. It's not like I could sit anywhere else anyway. I began munching on the meat they served me, trying to gnaw through it.

"I would watch what your eating" a voice spoke behind me

I turned around to see Achelous standing above me

"Eh?" I asked, still gnawing though the meat, giving him a wide-eyed look

"That's bison hide" he spoke emotionless as I immediately dropped it out of my mouth, coughing a couple times, my eyes still wide

"Ew" I stuck my tongue out, attempting to get the taste out of my mouth. I thought it tasted a bit... weird.

"Well, I'm not going to eat for the next little while, then" I dumped my 'food' into the garbage, taking a few breaths.

"Thanks for telling me, and I was actually about to look for you after I ate my... _food_." I glanced at the garbage, slightly glaring at it

"Oh." he spoke with his hands at his side as his eyes darted to something past me, but then back to my eyes. I slightly frowned to what he could be looking at, almost knowing what.. or who it was.

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize for hitting you with the rock earlier" I spoke looking directly into his yellow eyes trying to see the faces of who were behind us. He took a step closer, my face going slightly pink as I shot my eyes to the ground

"Look everyone! Pheobe has a thing for Achelous!" Minthe suddenly yelled to all the girls as my eyes went wide as my head flipped up to look at Achelous, my face going tomato red. My anger suddenly bubbled to the surface as everything she's done to me came flashing back, making me feel very pissed.

"SHUT UP YOU" I pointed to her as I walked over to her, infuriated.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT" I yelled as I slapped her face, running back to the river where I saw that girl.

I swear I could hear the girls freaking out. It's not like one slap was going to kill her, or anyone for that matter. I rolled my eyes as I could now hear them all yelling at me. I came to a stop as I was now a good ways into the forest and close to the river. I took a deep breath, sitting on my feet, hugging myself. What the hell had I just done? I heard a rustling in the trees above me as I looked up at them to see absolutely nothing. I hit my head once

"Now Pheobe, don't go insane on yourself" I mumbled as I kept walking to the river to see if the girl was there.

I walked to the river, seeing a bridge that connected our side with the side the Nymphs lived on, which definitely was not there this afternoon. But that wasn't what froze me. The girl I saw earlier that day was standing on it, now looking straight at me. I walked towards her, not moving my eyes from hers. It was almost as if we knew each other, although I'm positive seeing her today was the first time.

"Hello.." She spoke, her voice ringing in the air

"Hi" I brought my hand up, my fingers sticking up in a motion-less wave as I now stood next to her on the bridge

Please R&R 3


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello.." She spoke, her voice ringing in the air

"Hi" I brought my hand up, my fingers sticking up in a motion-less wave as I now stood next to her on the bridge

We stared at each other, almost analyzing one another for what felt like ten minutes.

"Your not a Nymph. Are you?" I asked looking at her ears, almost scared she was going to say yes.

"Nope. And your surely not a Kewolen." She spoke as I felt relieved.

"No." I replied taking in a breath.

"I'm Pheobe.. Pleasure to meet you" I held out my hand

"Raine" She spoke as she shook it once.

"If your not a Nymph, what are you?" I asked almost rolling my eyes at the dumb question

"I'm pretty sure I'm a human. Not too sure though. How about you?" She asked back

"Same here." I nodded once in agreement

"What happend back there?" She suddenly asked, probably referring to the Minthe incident.

"You mean the yelling? I just had a small fight with a girl" I almost let out a laugh at the thought. I was so screwed.

"Oh" She replied

"How is it living with the Nymphs?"

"It's awesome.. Their all really nice and they try to include me" She smiled as if she was lost in a memory

"..Lucky" I let out a sigh as I leaned on the bridge railing facing the rushing water

"How is it living over there?"

"It's like a living hell" I kicked the bridge railing that sat lower down

"Everyone makes fun of me and the only friends I have are the dust bunnies under my bed" I let out a small laugh thinking of Coco

"That sucks" She patted my back twice

"Haha thanks, but I've gone sixteen years with it, so it's not too bad anymore" I began picking off the paint from the bridge. How old was this thing?

"By the way, when I saw you this morning, there was no bridge here. Got any idea what happend?" I asked looking at her facial features again. She looked so much like I did, besides our face structure and hair style

"I heard my family.. adoptive family talk about a bridge that only comes out at night time and I'm assuming this is it" She also began picking off the red paint

"Oh, that's pretty cool that we found it" We nodded in sync, as we both gave out a laugh

"This is sort of... out there, but why do you look like me?" I looked back at her as she opened her mouth

"I was about to ask you the same question" We paused for a second

"Yeah I have no idea" We spoke in sync, laughing again.

"So, where do you think we came from, then?" Raine asked as I leaned back on my arms, looking at our rippled reflections in the running water

"I'm not sure.. Maybe like a parallel universe, sort of thing" I replied as there was a rustling in the trees again.

We both looked up at where it came from, but seeing no one once again. What the heck was going on?

"I was thinking something like that also. It's just plain weird that we're different than everyone else.." She spoke as I nodded in agreement

"It's getting on my nerves. I'm as pale as Nymphs, no offense intended, when I'm next to them Kewolens." I shook my head.

"Do you live in the village or the castle?"

"I live in the castle, I haven't been down to the village before" I paused. I knew exactly what I was going to do tomorrow.

"That must be awesome" she complimented

"Thank you, but not really. The girls are really mean and enjoy being in cliques." I rolled my eyes thinking of Minthe

"How about you?" I asked looking at her

"I live in the village" She looked down at the water

"How is that?"

"It's quiet, although I think it would be wonderful to live in the castle with the Princess.. and the Prince.." her voice trailed off as her face turned red

"Ooo does someone have a crush on the Nymph Prince?" I teased her giving her a wink

"N-no!" She stuttered, giving herself away

"Got cha! You so do" I stuck my tongue at her with a smile

"Shush! You can't tell anyone!" She eyed me carefully

"Haha don't worry. I won't tell a soul" I replied with a small laugh

"Now you have to tell me someone you like" She gave her own evil little smile as my face went a bit pink

"There's this guy on my watch-team, and he's.. really cute" I could feel my face get hotter with each passing second

"Aw, that's cute" she giggled

"Yeah.. but he has no emotions, just a straight face all the time." I sighed

"Well you know how boys are. Acting all tough and what not"

"Yeah, though he's nice. He's the only Kewolen my age who talks to me" I smiled at the thought. It somehow made me feel a lot better.

She suddenly stuck out her pinkie. I stuck mine out as they hooked each other, breaking apart the next second.

"No telling anyone" we spoke in sync with a right eye wink.

"Do you want to meet again tomorrow, same spot?" I asked looking down at the bridge as she nodded eagerly

"Pheobe." a soft feminine voice spoke behind me as I froze on the spot

"Princess.." I turned around giving a small curtsy with my short shorts

I was dead meat.

Please R&R 3


	5. Chapter 5

I stared at the Kewolen Princess in shock. This was my first time seeing her on her own, without Kevin or any other soldiers that protected her. She seems a lot.. smaller on her own. Her two little black cats that I had never noticed before blended in with her dark clothing which gave her a childish look, yet she still looked like Royalty.

"Come on Pheobe, it's late. Coco is worried about you. Let's go home." the Princess spoke, dragging me off. I swear this is the first time I've ever been dragged by a girl at least ten years younger than me.

We walked a couple steps as I glanced back at Raine, although her body was now covered by the dark trees. I sighed as the Princess let go of me but still ignored me as we walked back to the castle. I took in a breath as it came into view, ready to face Minthe and clique of girls from what I did earlier that night.

"Pheobe!" Minthe yelled as she walked up to me.. right where the Princess _was_ standing.

"I guess this is her form of punishment.." I mumbled to myself as I looked at Minthe in the eye

"What do you have to say for yourself?!" she yelled into my ear, a roar of girls coming from behind her

"I'm sorry for slapping you" I mumbled looking at the ground

"Sorry, what was that?!" she yelled, turning her large ear towards me. Like hell she didn't hear me. I inhaled a deep breath

"I'M SORRY FOR SLAPPING YOU!" I yelled into her ear, running to the castle and into my room, slamming the door before anyone could follow me.

"Pheobe! Where were you!" Coco called as I dove under my bed again, hiding

"I was... walking around" I mumbled, full knowing she could her me

"You missed curfew, and you got into a fight with Minthe!" She spoke loudly, sitting on top of the bed

"I must of lost tract of time and she's the one who was making false rumors about me" I played with the ends of my hair, curling it around my finger

"That does not matter; you know how the Princess is with curfew, and you should know better than to hit!" Coco spoke again, mothering me.

"I'm sorry.." I apologized not wanting to fight.

"Your forgiven. Just try not to be late next time" she mumbled as she got off the bed heading outside, closing my door.

I sighed as I got out from under, going towards my window, leaning slightly out of it. Tonight could not be any worse than it is already. I took a deep breath of the cold air, trying to ignore the still-loud yells of the girls. I rolled my eyes. Were they still obsessing over the slap? I looked down at the mossy ground, seeing Achelous look straight back at me. I felt my face get hot as I waved down to him. I quickly glanced around the stone wall to see if there were any other windows... which their wasn't. I paused for a few seconds, why was he standing below my window... looking at me? He slightly waved back, his face still as emotionless as ever. I gave him a smile. At least I knew he wasn't mad at me in anyway shape or form. I took a step back from the window, heading to my bed to lie down.

I couldn't fall asleep until the sun had shone through my window.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I woke up, feeling the hard cold ground. I sat up, rubbing my head trying to get rid of the throbbing. How did I fall onto the ground? I pushed myself up off the ground, dusting off my pajamas. I sighed. I had to work with Minthe today didn't I? I scrunched my face, unscrunching it the next second attempting to wake my face up. I walked over to the mirror, almost staring in shock of my reflection, I had dark bags under my eyes. I hit my forehead with my palm. This is what I get for getting three hours of sleep.

"Coco.." I mumbled, going into her room

"Yes, Pheobe?" She asked getting ready for her job as the Princess's maid

"... Do you have anything for my eyes?" I asked as Coco turned around in shock

"Your eyes?" she asked, looking at the dark circles under my eyes

"No.. I've never seen this before" she continued, now rubbing them with her purple fingers

"Okay, thanks anyway" I mumbled as I dragged myself back to my room.

"Damn human traits..." I mumbled as I got dressed, making my way outside.

Today would be an interesting day.

I walked out to the field again to relax. In the mornings, we have free time until the afternoon, when we have to patrol over the river. Every month or so the rotations change, so all of the watch-guards get to try watching over every station. The castle actually has a pretty big perimeter for it's size, since most of the land is still trees and untouched grass lands. I took in a breath and thought of the village, and what it would be like to live in it. I was supposed to go down today, but I'm just too tired to do anything. I closed my eyes, the sun heating up my whole body, almost as if I was under a natural bed sheet. I closed my eyes, resting them so maybe the dark circles that sat there would vanish, leaving me with a normal looking face again.  
I suddenly felt a tap on my foot which I successfully ignored. The object tapped my boot again, my foot wiggling to shoo it away. The thing hit my foot again, obviously trying to wake me up.

"What?" I grunted as I opened my eyes

"We have work" Achelous spoke.

It had been five hours already? And he was the one who woke me up from my slumber? I let out a grunt as I stood up, rubbing my eyes.

"Fine.. I'm coming" I lugged my way across the field, grunting with every step I took.

We made me way to the meeting point of where Achelous, Minthe and I met to go to work, which meant watch over the station we were assigned. I almost wanted to run towards it, to see Raine again, since she was seriosuly the only one like me around here, but I stood still, facing away from my team members. I'm sure they've noticed my bags by now.

"Hey Pheobe, nice rings" Minthe laughed as I rolled my eyes

"Look, Minthe. I'm not in the best mood, can you please cut it out for today?" I asked rubbing my temples with my eyes closed.

Minthe went silent and Achelous stayed silent. The main guard came towards us, his feet echoing through the forest with every step he took. He stopped in front of Achelous, Minthe and I going to either side of him to form a straight line.

"You will be watching over the river, the same spots as yesterday." He spoke, walking up and down as if we were in some sort of army.

"You may go and get your weapons" He spoke as we ran to the foyer of the castle and into another room, getting our specialized weapons again.

I grabbed my spear, running with the blades in the air to make sure not to stab anyone, standing in the same position I had been before I left. Achelous and Minthe returned a second later, each holding their weapon carefully. Minthe had her double headed axe with the head to the ground at her side, as Achelous and I rested the end of our weapons on the ground, the blades in the air.

"Okay. I'm sure you all know what to do. Move out!" he spoke as we began running off to the same positions as yesterday.

I ran along side Achelous as we both had to go north. I stopped about half the way that he had to run, running directly into the forest by the bridge of where I hung out with Raine. Hopefully she would be there again. I gave my eyes a rub to wake them up, as no one was on the other side; and just as I had suspected, the bridge was gone. I took a breath, kicking a rock into the water. I walked up and down the river, watching for any movement on the other side, which there wasn't. I heard Coco tell another maid that the Nymphs weren't even allowed to come near the river, it was so close to the Kewloens, meaning that was probably why Raine wasn't here yet.

"Hey." Achelous spoke

"Hi" I mumbled stretching out my arms

"Shouldn't you be higher up?" I asked looking at the height differences between us. He was at least one or two heads taller than I was, which somehow made me feel very short.

"No. There is a wider gap between the two sides up there." he gestured his head up the river

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." I spoke as he nodded once

"I'm fine here, you can go help Minthe if you want, it's probably alot narrower down there" I pointed down stream with the head of my spear

"It's fine. I'll be too far from my post if I go down there" he looked into my eyes as I nodded

"Yeah, I know. I have rings under my eyes." I put my hands over my eyes trying to massage them to wake them up

"You look tired" Achelous bluntly stated

"Thanks for noticing. I only got maybe three hours of sleep last night"

"I see."

"Yep. I also wanted to apologize for yesterday, I randomly ran off in the middle of my apology. So I guess I'm apologizing for an apology" I let out a small laugh as I looked up at the sun.

"It's fine" he spoke, also looking up at the sky

It was beginning to set.  
I rubbed my eyes again, almost begging that they circles would leave my face alone, which probably didn't work at all. I let out a sigh. This was going to be a long shift.

"Do you know if any Nymphs have actually been caught on our side?" I asked looking at the details of my spear

"Not that I know of" He held his scythe in the air, almost looking for a Nymph to attack.

I hit my head once, exhaling a breath I was holding. Trying to converse with Achelous was harder than attempting to cross the river that ran before me.

"Then whats the point of putting us here to watch over? I heard their peaceful" I mumbled as Achelous just shrugged

"Oh hey. Do you know how old the Princess is?" I asked thinking about last night and how tiny but royal she looked

"Maybe five or six"

"Oh, I see. That's cool she's a Princess at that age" I mentally hit myself for being dragged around by a six year old.

"You sure you don't need to go back up?" I asked eyeing him carefully

"Yeah. I doubt they'll try to get over" He spoke as the sun lowered its self behind the distant mountains

My felt my face heat up at the thought of watching the sunset with Achelous. It was truly a beautiful sunset, even if I couldn't sit down to enjoy it in a large meadow. I stared in an awe at the sun and the different colors that they sky portrayed, almost as if it was shining bright colors to announce it was happy and in a good mood. I closed my eyes as the sun drifted away, taking it's heat with it. I opened them again, smiling. I could see Raine walking towards the bridge; or where it will be in a couple minutes, probably smiling as much as I was. I looked to my left, giving a worried glance to Achelous, who was now missing.. or not next to me. Where did he go? I turned around in a circle to see where he ran off to, but only trees and open grassland surrounded me. Maybe he went back to his post, he might of heard something, I guess. I frowned but slightly shrugged, trying to ignore it. I looked behind me to make sure he was actually gone, he seriously had some good timing skills, but then back forward as the bridge was suddenly there, meaning the sun was now set.  
I waved to Raine as I ran onto the bridge to the same spot that I was standing yesterday.

"Hi Raine" I smiled

"Hello Pheobe, beautiful circles" she smiled back, referring to my eyes

"Jee. Thanks. Same goes to you" I glared back as she laughed

"So how was your day?" I asked facing the river again. Good thing my shift had just finished as the sun had set.

"My day was sorta shitty" She looked down sadly at the ground

"Oh.. I'm sorry.. do you mind if I ask what happend?" I looked down at her

"I got into a fight with the Prince, and my friends got mad at me and just as Acis and I were making up my brother came in and hit me. It's kind of dark so you can't see it, but I have a big bruise." She chucked a rock into the river, making a "plop" noise as it landed.

"I'm sorry.. that must of sucked" I patted her back a couple times

"No it's fine. I'll talk to them tomorrow about it" She said, wanting to avoid this topic.

"How about you?"

"Oh, mine was pretty good, compared to most days" I smiled thinking about my conversation with Achelous

"What happend?" Raine asked noticing my smile

"I told the girl who enjoys making fun of me off.. and I uh.. um.. got to watch the... sun set with the guy on my team.." I stuttered, my face going red.

"Was that the guy who I saw you stand next to a bit ago?" She asked looking in that direction again

"Yeah.." I smiled looking at my tomato red face in the water reflection

"You two looked adorable" She smiled

"Thank you.. Though I doubt he likes me" I mumbled sticking my foot out of the side of the bridge

"You never know.." She spoke, looking at the direction of the castle, my eyes following her stare.

The figure walked towards our position, not too slowly, yet not too fast. Almost as if they were pacing each step they took, counting them. The figure stood next to me, his face as blank as ever.

"Raine.. meet Achelous. Achelous.. meet Raine"


	7. Chapter 7

I looked at Raine's face with worry as Achelous approached. Her face had a flash of different emotions, the main one that stuck out being fear. She took a big gulp as she took a step backwards as if Achelous was about to kill her, running away.

"RAINE" I yelled, almost running onto the Nymph side as Achelous grabbed my arm pulling me back, causing me to fall onto my bum with a soft thump

"You shouldn't go over there" He spoke emotionless

"What the hell Achelous!" I yelled standing up

"What?" He asked as if he was shocked

"You just scared her away! " I screamed looking at him

"It's not my fault she made a bad first impression on me" He stared back at me

"Yes it is! If you had not randomly shown up, we'd be just fine!" I stomped on the bridge

"I thought you were meeting with a Nymph" his sounded voice monotone

"Oh my god, why do you have to be so emotionless all the time!? Can't you at least _pretend_ to have some emotions?!" I yelled my eyes now watering up.

I grabbed my spear, running back to the castle, avoiding his answer. This evening could honestly not get any worse. I dropped my spear lazily into it's rest, now the second day in a row. The main guard definitely won't be too pleased with me, and I'll never hear the end of it. I sighed running into my room, resting my arms on the windowsill. I hate it here. All I ever do is screw things up and not to mention _everyone _hates me. I took in a shaky breath, letting out a sob, tears running down my face as I shook my head. What I would give to get out of here. My door slowly opened, revealing a worried Coco. She walked came up behind me, gripping me into a soft hug as I leaned my head into her shoulder, at least I knew there was one person out there who cared for me.

I sniffled a couple times, meaning most of my tears had come to a finish as a good ten minutes passed by. Coco pulled apart from the hug, looking at my now red and soppy face.

"What happend?" she asked wiping my cheeks

I shook my head saying I didn't want to talk about it.

"Please don't be afraid to talk to me once in a while" she stoked my head, already making me feel a lot better

"I got into a fight with someone and I don't think it ended well" I mumbled, almost bringing a whole new set of tears down my cheeks

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Just sleep on it tonight, and I'm sure it'll be better by tomorrow" She nodded once in understanding. How did she always know what to say to make me feel better?

"Kay.." I mumbled wiping my eyes

"Let's go get dinner, okay?" She asked leading me away from my room

"Yeah, I'll meet you down there in a sec" I mumbled, stumbling to my mirror as she walked out of the room.

At least my appearance looked some what decent. I quickly brushed down my hair with my fingers, patting my face a couple times with my hands to get red of the redness in my eyes. I walked out of my room, quickly catching up with Coco. She smiled at me as I smiled back to her, now entering the dining hall. I inhaled and exhaled as I thankfully didn't see Achelous. He was the last person I wanted to talk to at this moment. I would rather try to converse with Minthe than talk with him right now. We stood in line, getting tonight's meal, which hopefully was not something disgusting as yesterday.

"What's food tonight?" I whispered to Coco

"I believe it's only pasta" She gave me a weird look as I nodded back

"I'll be outside then" I spoke as I escorted myself outside onto the grass. It's not like anyone else would want me to sit with them anyway.

I munched on the pasta, eating it slowly. It felt like my stomach had shrunk three sizes than what it usually was. Shame, it was good pasta too. I heard thumping come from behind me as I turned around to see Minthe and her little "Possy"

"What do you want Minthe?" I asked bitterly

"What do you mean, what do I want? Achelous told me to give this to you" She handed me a folded piece of paper that read "Pheobe" on the top

I eyed her suspiciously, but she quickly walked away with her miniature gang, leaving me alone once again. I carefully unfolded it, almost scared of what will be imprinted on it.

_Pheobe,_

_I'm sorry for what happend at the bridge._

_Please meet me by the large tree in the forest_

_-Achelous._

Next to his written name, there was a small smudge mark that looked like the had been.. crying?


	8. Chapter 8

I woke up, getting dressed immediately. What did Achelous want to talk to me about? I prepped myself up, feeling a hell of a lot better than yesterday, heading down to the dining hall for breakfast.. or brunch in this case. I took a cup of fruits and a fork to eat with; my stomach hadn't gotten much better since yesterday, though I could eat a little more. I sat down in the same spot on the grass as I did during dinner looking up at the sky and the clouds softly floating by as I made out shapes. A boat.. a cow.. a dragon.. a cat.. a heart. I felt my own heart thump loudly, my face going red. I had to meet Achelous, didn't I? I finished off the fruits, almost having to force the last couple down my throat, chucking the plastic cup out with the fork. I took a breath as I made my way to the front of the castle, waiting for Minthe and Achelous to show up for watch duty.

"Pheobe" A girl's voice called to me

"Princess" I instantly stood up, giving a curtsy with my shorts

"No need for formalities" She spoke, her voice sounding like a child but with power like a queen

"What would you like?" I asked patting down my hair a bit

"I know something you may want to know"

"Oh..?" I looked at her curiously

"You know the human girl you've been meeting with?" She eyed me even though I was a good three heads taller than her

"Yes.."

"She is your sister"

I stared at her in shock, the puzzle pieces finally fitting together. We were sisters.. That's why we have the same hair.. eyes.. skin.. and bracelet. I shot my head down to my wrist, looking down at it and it's design. Was that why they were connected together; yet apart? I brought my head back up to thank the small Princess, only to find an empty space. I held my wrist to my chest, hugging it with my other hand. We were sisters.

"Thank you.." I mumbled, positive she could hear me.

I curled my knees up to my chest, resting my head on them. Everything made so much more sense... besides the part that Achelous wanted to see me about something.. I took in a large breath, filling my lungs full of air, closing my eyes as I exhaled. I wasn't sure to feel over excited, or scared, but it was exciting.. yet scary. I heard the same thumping on the ground as I had been for years; coming from the main castle guard.

"Pheobe" his voice boomed as if he was attempting to wake me up, not that I was sleeping.

"Sir!" I called standing up glancing to my sides. Where were Minthe and Achelous?

"Minthe and Achelous have already departed; they wanted to go early." he looked at me cautiously. I guess that answered my question.

"You may go get your weapon" He spoke as I ran to get my spear which somehow now sat upright in it's hold.

"You will be on river duty; I'm sure you know what to do by now" he gave me a small wink as I half smiled, half fringed. I don't think I've ever seen anything more terrifying.

"Sir" I called as I ran towards the large tree.

I ran towards the tree that was a landmark for the Kewolens; it signalized that they were close to the castle and village, directly in the middle between them. I took a breath as I slowed down, the roots of the tree now coming into sight meaning that I was only a couple meters away. I got to the tree that was now in full view, coming to a stop in the middle of my step. I almost wanted to cry at the sight in front of me.

"I was wondering what took you so long" Minthe smirked, grinning evily.

Achelous didn't write the note; he didn't even _see_ the note. Everything began clicking into place, making me feel dizzy from my flying thoughts which made sense all the same. My eyes began to tear up as I stared at Minthe.

"Why the hell do you keep terrorizing me?!" I yelled running at her with my spear

"Girls." She calmly spoke as my hands and legs were suddenly caught by other arms, causing me to fall onto my face.

"Let go of me!" I yelled raising my head off the ground; my body now pinned down by the other girls

"Don't even try, hun." Minthe spoke, now walking in my direction

"Lift her up" She commanded, throwing a clob dirt at my stomach

The girls simultaneously let go of me, now throwing their own dirt clobs at me, hitting my body all over. I stared at them all wide-eyed, my body now frozen, the tears running down my face like there was no tomorrow. I crouched down, to a position where I was sitting on the bottoms of my feet, hugging myself, the tears now running down my stockings. My body felt like it had become numb, no feeling, only coldness and sadness. I was so stupid for falling into this stupid trap; it had Minthe's name written all over it. Why would Achelous even think of loving me; yet sending me an apology letter of something that wasn't all his fault? I let out a sob, not even feeling the hits of the dirt that they threw at me anymore.

"Minthe.. what are you doing?" Achelous spoke, causing me to look up in my horrible state.

"Ah. Just the person I wanted to see" Minthe smiled at him

His face was emotionless, as always. A new set of tears came out as he stared at me. He probably thought the same way that the girls did about me. Worthless.

"Hey you." Minthe spoke as I looked in her direction; she was walking over to Achelous.

She suddenly brought her lips onto Achelous's, my eyes going wide. I could feel my heart pang agenst my chest with betrayal as a sob escaped my lips.

"You seriously didn't think you could ever be with Achelous, did you?" she smirked, grabbing a hold of his hand.

My eyes flashed to their hands, and then back to her face.

"Hah! you actually did, didn't you? Don't be so naive. It would never workout for you; look at how different you are to us! I suggest you find someone else to love" she exclaimed as I stood up.

My face was pink from being wet with my tears, my eyes probably even redder. I stared at the ground for a couple seconds, slowly bringing my head up to face them. I could feel my tears run down my cheeks, drop after drop.

"I- I hate you all!" I yelled, running in the direction of the bridge.

I felt like my heart had been stabbed over and over, torn out and stomped on. I let out a loud sob as I tripped on a root, letting out a small scream. Great. More mess for me to clean up. I stood up, dusting off myself from the dirt attacks that had hit me. I probably looked like a complete mess. I let out another sob as I slowly made my way to the bridge. Some team members they turned out to be.. I played the scene between Achelous and Minthe in my mind, another set of tears running down my face. I really was stupid for believing I could be with him, wasn't I?

I sniffled a couple times, now coming upon a small clear pond. I looked at my reflection; I honestly did look like a mess. I made a cup with my hands, splashing it on my face to get rid of the dirt stains. I rubbed my face, trying to push everything that happend out of my mind. I stood up, deciding that there was nothing more I could do to my appearance. The sun was just setting, meaning the bridge would be on the river any second. The bridge suddenly appeared as I was a few feet away from it, a person running across it, pulling me into a hug.

"What happened?" Raine asked worried

"Remember the bitch I told you about? She found out I liked Achelous and sent me a letter yesterday making it look like he sent it to me and wanted me to meet with him in the forest. So I went there and Minthe and her possy were there instead. They threw dirt and random crap at me... then Achelous showed up, with no emotions as usual so I had no idea what he was thinking. Then Minthe went over, making sure I was watching, and kissed Achelous.. Then... then she told me how I would never be able to be with him cause of my race, and said I should try and fall in love with someone else.... now he knows." I let out a small sob as I replayed everything that happend a few hours or so ago.

Raine held me tighter, making me feel so much better

"Is that why you look like you've just had a bat or something?" She asked.

"I was in a rush to get here, that's why I got a little bit dirty." I replied

"My day wasn't any better."

We let go of each other and I leaned against the bridge railing next to Raine as she told her story

"Acis wanted me to meet with him in the castle garden, I did and he told me he loved me... then we kissed." Raine's face went red at the memory. "But... but then he told me how I should compete to be his wife, and that he'd choose me... but it wouldn't work because of our race. His father probably wouldn't approve and Nymphs age slower after 35, so he'd be young when I die of old age." She took in a breath. "Then he told me how he'd find someone better and he'd forget about me.... maybe he didn't mean it but it crushed me... I don't think I can go back."

I nodded to her, understanding completely

"Me neither....."

It was silent for a bit. Raine sighed.

"I wish you were my sister or something, it feels like I could tell you anything! Even things that I don't tell my friends." She laughed as I paused

I let out a awkward laugh. How ironic that statement was

"Funny you should say that cause we are sisters!" I exclaimed, forgetting about Achelous and Minthe

"H-How do you know that?!" she asked dumbfounded

"The princess told me... she's a lot smarter then her looks portray." I smiled at the thought.

"That's... amazing!"

"Yeah.. and...maybe since we can't go home, we should go to our real home, where we come from and were people like us are!" I spoke, getting more excited with every word

"I'd do it... but how the heck are we able to get back? It's as impossible as finding out how we got here!"

I put my hand to my chin. Thinking hard, trying to remember anything that Coco had told me when I was little about how I got here. I stuck my finger out as an idea came into my head

"I remember there being a story that Coco told me about! At the end of the river there's a path, and at some point in the path there is a house made of moss wood and flowers. There's a wise woman who lives there and she knows the answer to even the most impossible questions! Like.... how do you get back to the human world?"

"Let's go then." Raine said, smiling.

I smiled back amazed at everything that was happening

"I knew you'd say that!"

I gave my travelers bag that I always had on me to Raine, holding my spear in my hand. At least we had some protection from what ever came our way.

With that, we were on our way to go to our real home, where we belong


	9. Chapter 9

We began walking up stream, where the old lady was supposed to have been living for who knows how many years. I almost want to doubt that such a person exists, but the midnight bridge did exist.. so who am I to question it? I sighed as the sound of the river covered over our silence, the sky now fully black. My mind wondered off to Coco, she must be dead worried by now.. I inhaled and exhaled again. I want to go back to say good bye, yet it's much too late now. They must all know what Minthe had done with Achelous, and my secret that went with it. I glanced at Raine; she looked really tired from the walking, and what must of happend earlier today. At least we were on the Nymph side of the river, so we were pretty safe.

"Hey Raine" I called, interrupting the silence

"Yeah..?" she turned to look at me

"Let's stop here for the night" I walked over to a tree, sitting down agenst it

"Okay." she made her way over to the same tree I was now agenst

"What do you have in here?" she asked opening the bag

"I'm sure you guessed before, but it's mostly camping sort of gear, like blankets and what not" I mumbled, grabbing one out

"Why do you have those with you?" she wrapped her body under the same blanket I was under

I could feel my face turning pink.

"..I've been thinking of.. running away.. for a while" I mumbled thinking of the torments Minthe had made me suffer through

"Oh.. That's lucky we have it then" Raine wrapped the blanket tighter around her body

"Yup."

"I'll see you tomorrow then.." I stiffed a yawn, closing my eyes

"Until tomorrow." she spoke back, also giving a yawn

x o x o x o x o

I could feel the warm sun agenst my face, waking me up from my deep sleep. Thank god it was summer time, not winter or spring, other wise we would freeze over. I opened my eyes, blinking a few times as I looked to my right side; Raine was still sleeping peacefully. I guess I was a bit early on the wake up time. I carefully got up, wrapping the blanket around her carefully to keep her warmer before I went to the river. It was like a habit for me to wash my face every morning, it really helped me to wake up my face and keep it clean. I took off my boots and stockings, walking into a small pond like area in the river, where the water was much shallower than usual. I walked in up to my knees, dipping my hands in to get a cup of water and splashing it on my face a couple times. The water was actually really clean and clear, much nicer than in most rivers or ponds that I've seen. I made another cup with my hands, this time drinking the water. It tasted even better than it looked. And water, to me, doesn't have a taste.

"Good morning" Raine spoke as I turned around to face her

"Morning sleepy head" I laughed, splashing some water her way

"Do you even know how early it is?" she sat down on the edge of the river

I turned my attention to the sky

"Maybe one?" I asked looking back down at the water.

"Try eleven" she rolled her eyes

"Jee, sorry" I joked now attempting to catch a fish

I rolled up my sleeves, diving my hands into the water to catch the fish every couple seconds.

"What are you doing?" Raine asked as she walked into the water, her own shoes taken off.

"Fishing" I mumbled, diving my hands into the water once again

"Is it fun?" She asked as if she wanted to join in with me

"Yeah! Join in!" I splashed some water in her direction as she took off her sandals that wrapped around her ankles

She carefully made her way into the water until she was standing next to the spot that I stood. She smiled at me as I smiled back bending down to catch the same fish that had been escaping my hands. Another fish swam by, Raine now trying to catch that one. We spent the next little while fishing and laughing, I'm not too sure how long we must of spent jumping around in the river, but it certainly felt like hours.

"Look Pheob! I caught one!" Raine exclaimed as the fish in her hands squirmed around like it had gone insane

"Wow, awesome!" I smiled as I walked over to her side looking at the fish that was in her hands

"It's giant!" I commented as I touched it's tail which felt oddly slimy

She let the fish go, as we made our way back to the land, the water was beginning to rise again. We walked fairly slowly out of the frigid water, step by step avoiding the larger rocks. A small dust of sparkles suddenly flew by, causing Raine and I come to a stop. We looked at each other, then the direction that it went in. Nothing was there. We looked back at each other shrugging. I guess it might have been a figment of our imagination. We began walking back to the shore again.

"That was sorta weird" Raine spoke as we were now up to our ankles in water

"Yes.. it was" I mumbled as I suddenly slipped on something, falling onto my bum in the river

"Pheobe! Are you okay?" Raine called, her too slipping into the water.

"Yes, I'm fine.. are you okay?" I asked now looking in the air.

The same small speckle of dust that flew past us before was now laughing like she had done the most hilarious thing in the world; push us into the river.

"Stupid fairy!" I yelled as it flew away, taking it's laughter of joy with it

"Well, this day is off to a pretty rough start.." I mumbled, climbing out of the water now soaked

"Indeed.. How do you suppose we dry off?" she asked her hair dripping as much as mine probably was

"We have to walk up stream, so we can just air dry as we walk" I grabbed my boots and stockings, heading back to the tree to get my bag

I grabbed my bag, passing it to Raine to hold as I grabbed my spear, beginning to walk upstream once again. We walked for a couple more minutes as I looked down at my wrist, instantly remembering the bracelet that we both somehow had

"Hey Raine"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know if you've noticed.. but we undoubtedly have the same bracelet on" I looked at her right wrist, then back at mine

"Yes, I noticed that when I first saw you" She looked at her own bracelet then at mine

"Woah. We really are sister's, arn't we?" We spoke at the same time, laughing

"Yup!"

"I wonder who's older?" I asked playing with the bracelet

"Er.. I'm not sure" she replied, looking at me

"To be honest, we look the same age" she spoke inspecting my facial features

"Yes actually, we sorta do"

"Hmm.. Well this is rather difficult" I stopped, thinking about it

"Well, maybe we can ask the old lady, one of us can ask how we can get home, and the other can ask how we're sisters" She thought out loud as I nodded

"I guess we should hurry then" I spoke as I looked up at the sky, it was already somehow starting to set

"Sure" she smiled as we began walking again

The river came to an end, as it looked like it flew right out of the grass. The grass ran everywhere, but came to a stop where the river began, growing around it. Maybe it was an underground river past this point. We came to a stop as the darkness had taken over the sky, leaving us mostly blind.

"Say we stop for the night?" I asked going slightly into the forest to find a tree to sleep on again

"Sure" Raine yawned and stretched out her arms

I pulled out the same blanket as the night before, wrapping it around Raine and I. At least we were completely dry now from the stupid fairy who thought it was funny to push us in the water. I let out a grunt as I stood up, grabbing my boots and stockings which I forgot to put on sooner.

"Raine I'll be right back, I'm putting my stockings and boots back on" I ran a bit deeper into the forest, taking off my shorts so I could put my tights back on and my boots once my shorts were on again.

I quickly made my way back to Raine, looking at her sleeping form. I suppose she was still really tired from the last couple days. I got myself under the lone blanket, falling asleep as I leaned agenst the tree.

x o x o x o x o

I felt myself running quickly, running away from something, but I don't know what. All I knew was that I had to run from.. what ever was chasing me. I glanced behind my shoulder, to see if it was far enough away from me so I could catch a breather. I tripped on my left foot, slightly stumbling forward to hit the floor. I stuck my hands out ready to fall, but opened my eyes when I didn't go anywhere, but stayed in my falling position. I looked down at the purple arm that held me up, my face going pink. How did he find me?

Achelous stood me up on my feet, I felt dumbfounded as if I didn't know what to believe, not that I had much of anything to believe in. I took a few steps away, looking at the ground. I felt my heart beat faster as Minthe suddenly came into my head. If he was here, she must be here too? I glanced around the forest, seeing nothing but himself and the trees.

"No, she's not here" he spoke taking a step towards me as I took a step back

"W- why are you here?" I asked still looking at the ground

"Because you ran away from home" I could feel my eyes now beginning to tear up

"That hell hole is not home" I mumbled glancing at his face then back at the ground

"Why do you keep looking at the ground?" he asked taking another step towards me

"no comment" I took a step back

"I'm not going to hurt you if I come closer" He took another step as I took another step back

"Does it matter?"

"Not really" he stopped walking, standing in the same spot

"Why don't you come back?"

"What's there to go back for?" I countered his question

"Coco and Kyra?"

"I doubt they wanted me in the first place, and besides everyone hated me" I shook my head as I rolled my eyes at the thought of Minthe

"I hit Minthe, just so you know" he spoke, as I looked up at him

"What? Why'd you do that?" I asked eying him, yet rejoicing inside

"We arn't going out and I knew you loved me before Minthe yelled it out" I paused as my face turned red

"H- how did you know that?" I stared at him, my eyes flashing around the forest unsure where to look

"When ever you see me in your dreams.. I'm actually in your dreams" I stared at him wide-eyed as his comment

"You were in my dreams almost every night!?" I freaked out my voice getting higher as he nodded once

"Why the hell did you do that?" I yelled hitting my head

"Your dreams were interesting" he spoke his emotions still flat

"That's not funny Achelous!" I yelled stomping on the ground

"I didn't say it was"

"So then are you saying this is a dream now?" I asked now looking at him

"Yes"

"I see.. Dammit Ache." I kicked the air, signaling that the kick was for him.

"Pheobe" he called my name as I looked up, he suddenly was right in front of me, looking down at me. I felt my stomach flop over and my face get redder

"Y-yes?" I asked trying to find my words

"Come back home" he lowered his voice

".. I can't, I have to stay with Raine.." I replied looking into his yellow eyes

"Then there is something you should know" he brought his face closer to mine

"I love you" he whispered, pressing his lips onto mine


	10. Chapter 10

I shot my eyes open, quickly waking up from my.. dream, if that is what you can even call it. I put my fingers to my mouth remembering the kiss that Achelous gave me, my face heating up. Did it even count as a kiss? And why did he kiss me now and not when he first found out? Why when I'm about to leave; when I very well wouldn't have if he had just told me that he loved me back!? So then is that the only reason he spoke to me? Because he knew I liked him and pitied me?

"Are you alright?" Raine asked, now awake

I shrugged not wanting to talk about it

"The tree was hard to sleep on." I lied

I grabbed the blanket off of Raine, shoving it into the bag now frustrated with Achelous. He had no right to be in my dreams and learn everything about me! I chucked my bag at Raine a little bit too hard, grabbing my spear, a few tears running down my face

"Let's go!" I commanded, wanting to get back to the human world asap.

I stormed away from the tree, walking a couple paces ahead of Raine. Why did Achelous have to tell now out of all times? Why not in one of my thousand dreams that he was in? It would have turned out so much better if he had just told me right from the start of when he knew, not much later when I was on my own self-exploration. The tears ran down my face and I didn't bother to wipe them away; only more would come running down.

"Pheobe... can we rest a bit?" Raine asked probably dragging behind me

I came to a stop, Raine bumping into me from my sudden action.

"Mind telling me what's gotten into you?" she asked, maybe worried

I sighed once, turning to her. Raine looked shocked, maybe at my appearance, which probably looked terrible as of this moment. I sniffled once, wiping away the tears

"I'm just... so confused and angry about this whole thing! Achelous tells me he loves me in my dream, and it's actually him! It's always been him and not my imagination! He knew well before Minthe announced it to everyone that I fell for him! Then I leave and that's when he decides to go into my dream and tell me that he loves me! The nerve of that emotionless bastard! He doesn't even know what love is, cause he's an emotionless bloody bastard!" I screamed, letting my emotions out

Raine held my bag in front of her, making me almost want to laugh. I let a few tears fall, lowering my head to face the ground as she hugged me. I feel so confused and lost, I don't know what to believe in anymore. I hardly know if I still want to go on this exploration thing about Raine's and my real home, even though I knew the answer I wanted.

I took a few breaths, already feeling much better. I pulled myself out of the hug, starting to walk again.

"Let's not dilly dally!" I said, walking a head of Raine again.

I had to get home.

x o x o x o x o

We ate a little bit of food when the sun was close to setting. I hope that finding the way home isn't going to take as long as finding the lady who could tell us how to get there. I could only hope that we would get there by tomorrow at least, we covered a lot of road today.

"How long did it take your adoptive dad to get there and back?" I asked, trying to figure out how far or close were to getting there

"A day.... he was a Nymph remember? He also wanted to be home on curfew, Abilene didn't like him being gone so much." Raine explained

"... but didn't you say he left to go get her some medicine? How long has it been since he's been gone?"

"... five months. Abilene told him to be back soon, but by the looks of things she could barely... remember him." Her voice sounded quieter with every word she spoke

There was silence. I don't know if it was me and my bad mood bringing everyone else down, but I'm sure I didn't help with it. I really miss Coco and Kyra.. it's not fair that I just ran away with a girl who've they've never met before; who is strangely enough my sister, yet it's too late now.. there's nothing I can do about it at this point. Maybe Achelous would tell them where am I am.. or what I'm doing and why I'm away from my foster home.

Suddenly we heard the tiniest scream coming from behind us. Raine and I turned and saw a little speck of dust flying towards us. Not far behind her there were gremlins and crows chasing after her.

"Somebody save me!" we heard the little fairy yell.

I turned to Raine

"Wasn't that the fairy that pulled a prank on us yesterday?"

"Yeeep." She confirmed

"... We going to help her?" I asked, almost rolling my eyes

"It would be wrong not to." She replied back

We nodded looking at each other. I grabbed her spear, running with Raine to the flock of birds, grimlins, and the fairy that was being chased by them. At sight of my spear, mostly all the grimlins turned around running away. The crows were gaining on the little fairy, but before the crows could sink their claws into her, Raine snatched her in her palms, immediately putting her clenched hands at her chest. I swung my spear at them, purposefully missing them to scare them off. They quickly flew off in another direction, leaving the fairy with us.

Raine slowly opened her palm, revealing the fairy. She had a dress and hat made purely of flowers. She had short hair with eyes that were as blue as her wings. She was really cute, yet I somehow felt like flicking her off Raine's hand and onto the ground.

"Y-You saved me! I swore that they were about to kill me! Thank you! Thank you to the both of you!" she said.

I stared down at the fairy, irritated.

"Aren't you forgetting something? You owe us an apology!"

The fairy looked at me as if I had gone, the realization finally hitting her.

"You two are the girls I slipped yesterday? I'm so sorry I was just.. .I didn't know you two were.... you're not from here are you?" she asked.

We shook our heads. She sighed.

"I'm terribly sorry! How can I make it up to you?"

"Show us the way to the wise woman!" we both said.

She paused, then soon smiled.

"As long as I can come along with you!"

I was about to reject, but Raine cut me off before I could open my mouth.

"You can! What's your name little fairy?" She asked.

"My names Petal. I kind of... lost my way home when I was young. Another group of fairies let me stay with them, but now I just wander around here pulling pranks."

"This better not be one of them." I mumbled turning away from them

The fairy frowned, but she understood the meaning behind that and flew to my shoulder.

"Just over that big hill! There's a large hut that is among a lot of bamboo tress! They have a stone with a seal stamped on and only the ones with pure hearts can pass the barrier they put up." the fairy explained.

I looked down at her, inspecting her face

"You sound like you've been there before."

"I was, I fly around here remember?"

"Pheobe! If we run fast enough we can make it before sundown!"

"But Raine, we've been walking all day! It's not like it's gonna go anywhere."

Suddenly we heard a loud booming sound from behind us. We both looked back to see that large black clouds were covering the painted sky. The rain was coming down just a bit away.

"Still wanna sleep out here?" asked Petal

I sighed, the fairy did had a point.

"Let's make a run for it!"

Raine and I began sprinting, Petal sitting upon Raine's shoulder. I could feel the rain drops beginning to fall, making a "pitter patter" sound as they hit the ground. Another loud boom erupted from the sky, making us run that much faster. Raine was talking with Petal that kept asking all sorts of questions, keeping her voice to a low murmur. We reached the top of the hill, already drenched in rain water, Petal using Raine's hair as a shelter. I rolled my eyes coming to a stop to catch out breaths

"Looks like you're not that much of a prankster!" I spoke looking down at the hut

There was a large dark hut surrounded with bamboo trees, that looked oddly used. I looked down at the hill, almost wanting to roll down it like a log. A loud boom echoed through the sky, causing Raine to jump and slide down the hill. I yelled down after her, accidentally slipping down the hill myself. It was actually really fun. I almost wanted to do it again; but Raine began walking forward towards the hut, as I followed her. We came to a stop in front of the stone that tPetal had warned us about. Raine took a breath, easily walking though it. I followed her lead, also walking through it quite easily.

"That was an exciting ride." noted Petal.

"[i]YOU[/i] have a good heart?!"

"For your information I was raised better then to prank strangers who were kind, I had no idea who you two were because you didn't look like any Nymphs. I was just protecting my home!"

"You need a smaller home." I mumbled

Raine rolled her eyes, walking up to the door and knocking on it. The door creaked open as we carefully stepped inside. It was so warm and light; completely unlike outside,

"Anyone in here?" Raine called out, her voice almost echoing

There was a short silence, as Petal seemed very scared. What was there to be scared of?

"Well well well, looks like the twins made it a bit earlier then I expected. Welcome to our home Pheobe, Raine and little Petal."

A chill went down my spine at the sight. There was a eye-less green skinned old lady in front of us.


	11. Chapter 11

A chill went down my spine as an old lady came out of the shadows, her skin a murky green color and had no eyes

"Welcome to my home" she spoke sending a shiver down my body

"D-did she just say we were twins?" Raine muttered to me as we looked at each other in shock

"Did you not know?" the lady let out a high pitched crackle sort of laugh

Raine and I stared at each other, as if we we had just met for the first time again. This was amazing; I was delighted just to be sisters, but we were actually twins! Raine and I hugged, Petal letting out a soft awe. Today was such as bad day, yet such a good day.

"Enough with the mushy feelings. Lets get you two washed up and into a bad for the night. You may ask your questions in the morning" She commanded, almost like a grandma

"What about me?" Petal asked, flying out of Raine's hair

"You, my little Petal get a flower bed" she spoke, going to what looked like a stair case

"Echo, please escort the twins to their rooms" She spoke eying us carefully.

"Yes Ma'am." A woman's voice spoke as she made her way down the stairs

She had straight black hair that was tied back in a single ponytail, with a small clip in her hair, which I couldn't make the shape out of. She had pale skin which was almost the color of white and large black eyes. She wore a red kimono style outfit, with a large bow in the back that flowed around her body. In her hand, she held a small orb that seemed to be almost glowing.

"Please follow me" she spoke, almost monotone, yet with a slight ring to it

Raine and I followed after her, going upstairs going into a pretty large room with two beds. I guess this is where we will be sleeping for tonight. Raine immediately jumped into the bed, probably sick of sleeping against trees. I put my spear agenst the wall next to my bed, taking off shoes and slowly getting in it.

"Good Night" Raine spoke sounding as if she was smiling

"Night" I mumbled, not sure if I wanted to sleep at all.

x o x o x o x o

I opened my eyes, bubbles floating above me. Where was I? I tried moving my body, but I had no control over it; almost as if I was frozen. I took a small breath in, still able to breathe. What the hell was going on? I exhaled the little breath that I had, taking in another small breath.

"Pheobe" I heard a male's voice call.

I tried answering back, but nothing came out of my mouth

"Pheobe" the voice called again, closer

I closed my eyes, opening them a second later; everything went black.

"Pheobe" the voice called, putting his hand on my shoulder

I felt like I was brought out of a pool, like the water had drained out, bringing me back to the present world to live once again.

"Pheobe I'm sorry" Achelous spoke to me, now standing next to me, his hand on my shoulder

"W-What was I just in?" I mumbled, trying to find my breath

"You were having a nightmare" he mumbled taking a step back

"Oh.. I see" I spoke taking my own step back.

At least that's one more nightmare I get to miss.

"What do you want this time, then Ache?" I asked looking into his eyes

"I know that you were really upset today becau--"

"How did you know that?!" I cut him off of his sentence

Achelous eyed me as if he wanted me to believe some weird excuse that he never gave me.

"Don't even try to lie, Achelous"

"When ever I'm in someone's dreams, I have to be in a twenty foot radius of the person" his face went back to being flat; even if had been like that the whole time

"So then.. your saying you've been following me around this whole time?" I frowned, yet slightly rejoicing inside

"More or less"

"Dammit Achelous! Why are you doing this to me?!" I strained my voice mumbling, putting my hands to my face

"Do what?" He sounded confused

"Pressure me like this last minute!" I brought my hands to my side, now seriously frowning

"It's not like I planned to pressure you" He spoke monotone

"Then why'd you do it?!

"I wanted to tell you before you.. left" his voice suddenly became quieter

"Oh.. I see" I felt my face heat up as I looked to the ground

"Then.. Achelous, as I'm sure you've heard a thousand times.. I love you" My face felt like it was burning in a coal fire

He walked up to me, pulling me into a hug. I wrapped my hands around his neck as he bent down to bring his head closer to mine. He seriously was too tall for his own good. I looked up to see his yellow eyes staring at my own grey eyes, as if he wanted to kiss me again. I smiled, bringing my lips onto his before he could do or say anything. He pulled away a couple seconds later looking down at my eyes as he brought his head by my ear

"Good morning sunshine" he mumbled into my ear as my eyes opened.

I was back in the cabin bed room with Raine who was sitting on her bed, looking quite happy. I sat up, bringing my fingers to my lips again, my face going red. Would that even count as a kiss?

"What's up with you?" Raine asked as she must of noticed my face color

"N-nothing. Just a dream" I mumbled jumping out of bed.

Today was the day we were going to find our way home.

"What about you? You seem very happy" I began putting my boots on

She just shrugged

"Ready to go home, then?" I fixed the bed as my boots were now on comfortably.

"Yeah.. I can't wait" She mumbled as if she was almost sad

"Girls, you may come downstairs" Echo's voice spoke as we opened the door; going back to where we first walked in,

"Please, follow us to the living room" the old lady spoke quite creepily

"Good morning!" Petal exclaimed cheerfully.

I wonder what her question is.

"Morning" Raine and I spoke in sync, slightly giggling.

We all made our way to the living room, where there was a medium sized couch on the southeast wall, three chairs scattered on the north, northwest and south walls, and a small round table in the middle with two square pillows on the east and west side. I sat on the couch facing the southeast wall, leaning my spear agenst the wall and my bag on the floor.

"So ladies, who will ask their question first?" Echo spoke, sitting on the east side square pillow, her crystal ball in the middle of the table on it's own specialized rest.

Raine had another question besides how to get back? I looked at her confused, but she almost looked away from me when she saw me looking at her

"ME!" Petal almost screeched as I flinched from the sound

"Yes, very well young Petal. What is your question?"

"Where is my true home?" She asked sitting upon the table instead of the square shaped pillow across from Echo.

Echo closed her eyes, moving her hands around the orb as if it would tell her the answer if the kept her hands moving.

"Follow the river to the very end, and you will see a single cherry blossom tree" She spoke clearly, her voice echoing through the room. Petal smiled and flew onto Raine's shoulder again

"I believe Petal has chosen you go to next, Raine"

"I'll go then" She spoke still avoiding eye contact with me for some reason

"Well then. When ever you're ready." Echo slightly laughed as if she already knew the question

"Why did our parents leave us in this world, and not to the human world?" Raine's face was completely straight, as if her good mood was gone

"My. What a good question." She came to a pause, moving her hands around the orb, closing her eyes.

We had to wait about a minute in silence as Echo thought.. or maybe seeked the answer from her little glass ball.

"They wanted you to live a world untainted by greed and envy" She spoke opening her eyes, looking directly at Raine.

Raine nodded once, moving back onto the couch in silence. Was the human world honestly that bad? I could feel Echo staring at me, waiting for me to ask my question. I quickly ran it through my head, making sure that I wouldn't screw up the wording. I sat down where Raine had sat a second ago, looking at the oddly pale lady.

"Where is the route to the human world?" I asked directly before I had any chance of screwing it up

Another minute pause rolled around as she closed her eyes, moving her hands around the orb. If the rumors were true, she was a truly amazing person.

"There is a cave near the end of the river, and deep inside there is a small rock that you will undoubtedly not miss."


End file.
